The exotic little island, the pear shaped pearl pendant of the Indian Ocean . . . caressed by warm blue waters with 770 miles of golden sand . . . within this, lush green fertile land sculptured into soaring mountains towards the center . . . like an emerald, fringed by filigreed gold, set in Aquamarine . . a Land of rare dazzling gems . . . .

The Sinhalese arrived in SRI LANKA late in the 6th century B. C., probably from northern India.  Buddhism was introduced at the beginning in about the mid-3rd century B. C. and a great civilization developed at cities such as Anuradhapura (kingdom from 200 B. C. to 1000 A. D.) and Polonnaruwa (1070 to 1200 A. D.).  In the 14th century, a South Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom.  Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796 and became a crown colony in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948;  its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972.

In 1977, SRI LANKA abandoned statistical economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. SRI LANKA's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles & apparel, food & beverages, telecommunications, insurance and banking. Geographically / strategically located on the main sea route.

Sri Lanka has a population of around 19 million people. Colombo is the commercial capital, while Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is the legislative capital. Taking advantage of the historic factors and the competitive edge due to its location, SRI LANKA is striving to be the Maritime Hub of the south Asian region.